Climate change threatens to wash away couple's history

By Anne Lagamayo, CNN

(CNN)Seventy years ago, on the day Wenceslaus and Denicia Billiot got married, their wedding party danced along a road that ran from one end of Isle de Jean Charles to the other.
Today, that road is nearly gone. Isle de Jean Charles, located 80 miles from New Orleans, has been sinking slowly. Since 1955, it has lost 98% of its land mass to rising sea levels, devastating hurricanes, and the construction of oil and gas canals along the marsh.
The latest research shows that, if the current rate of global warming continues, sea levels have the potential to rise more than three feet by the end of this century.

The Island Road in Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana
That would certainly mean the end of Isle de Jean Charles. Today, only half a square mile of land remains above water.
Recognizing the danger, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $48 million to the state of Louisiana in 2016 to relocate the community to higher ground, off the island -- making the residents of Isle de Jean Charles the country's first-ever climate refugees. ...

Since 1955, Isle de Jean Charles has lost 98% of its land mass

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Posted by Hammertime

Will trade dowsing rod for titties

Member since Jan 2012

43030 posts

Posted on 3/3/17 at 10:13 am to chinese58

Somebody should tell CNN that global warming isn't the cause

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Posted by WildTchoupitoulas

Member since Jan 2010

44071 posts

Posted on 3/3/17 at 10:21 am to wildeaux

quote:
B. Every Canal that was not backfilled was done so under the auspices of a waiver granted by the landowner whose property was dredged. People not the state own the Marsh. All of these landowners wanted to keep these canals to build camps on, use for hunting and fishing access, and to make their properties more commercial.

That's the biggest issue right there, the State can't show harm, but the landowners can - they just don't.

It's not even so much about 'baws' wanting canals on their property as much as most of coastal Louisiana being owned by giant multi-national corporations such as Fina-Total. These corporations are headquartered out of state, and sometimes out of the country, and hold the land only for it's subsurface mineral value. They really don't give a shite about what's happening on the surface.

So if Fina-Total doesn't care if their land disappears, there's nothing Louisiana can do about it.

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Posted by wildeaux

H town

Member since Feb 2017

40 posts

Posted on 3/3/17 at 2:33 pm to WildTchoupitoulas

I do agree that big land companies and oil companies own most of the coast but you are wrong in thinking they don't care about the Marsh. If you go to any of the Coastal Restoration meetings the majority of people in attendance, both personally as well as in a leadership role, are from these land corporations. They are responsible for the majority of the projects that take place along the coast. This is for two reasons.
1. They watch their land mass dwindle every day via erosion and once this occurs the water is then owned by the state. Their care is driven by self preservation.
2. Apache (Fina), and Conoco look at the stewardship of these lands as a shining jewel they can put forth as their commitment to the environment. It is a PR tool and they give it special attention.

Most of these lands are managed by locals. They all live and work in Houma, New Orleans, and Lafayette.

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